Fearless
by Jet Dreamer
Summary: After being injured in a Neroi attack, Trude is suffering in a new way. She's expirencing a new type of pain. Her mind is in a state of dispair and angst. The once proud Stike Witch, has been injected with what seems like indelible scars. Perhaps the ones she's taught to be fearless, can remind her how to be. M for language and depression.
1. Chapter 1

Jet: Longest disclaimer yet.

Captain Gertrud 'Trude' Barkhorn: The following is a non-profit fan based parody. Strike Witches is owned by Humikane Shimada, Yoshiyuki Kazumi, Hashigo Ueda, Noboru Yamaguchi, Gonzo, Madman Entertainment, Kadokawa Shoten, Manga Entertainment, Funimation, and Chiba TV.

Sergeant Yoshika Miyafuji: Mr. Dreamer. I didn't know you liked ecchi anime!

Jet: /O/O/

Fearless

The girls were separated. Millions upon millions of the enemy took over the skies. Second only to the raindrops of the thunderstorm. Visibility and hearing were declining under the harsh wind throwing the witches about.

Their nerves were wearing down from the freezing stings. When the guns fired, it shook their arms to the core of the bone. It hurt and it was exactly what was needed.

It had been hours since the Neroi appeared and the 501st flew into combat. The alien's plan was to overwhelm with a giant wave after a giant wave of Neroi. Despite this, all of the strikers weren't backing down. All because of the addrenaline rush of a storm.

"Barkhorn!" Minna shouted over the intercom, "Neroi coming at you, Five o'clock!"

"Roger!" Trude twisted around to see thirteen black boxes coming for her life.

They all fired forcing the Captain to decend for an escape. Barkhorn's back felt the heat coming off the blasts she just barley eluded. She knew she was starting to get sloppy of that was the case.

Enraged by this, she couldn't wait to shoot back at the aliens.

Seven shots went off for seven Neroi followed by six explosions. The one that dodged a bullet, came in with the speed of one ramming directly into the Captain's magic sheild! A small amount of shrattenal somehow managed to dart through the puff of smoke, pelting Trude's skin and mucles.

"Captain Barkhorn!" Yoshika called. "I'm on my way!"

Pride, is one hell of a drug.

"NO!" she argued, "I'm fine! I can hold them o-AHHHH!"

Captain Barkhorn took a violent hit from another pesturing Neroi.

Wrath, can blind the greatest of us.

"You bastards!" Trude roared demolishing any Neroi that came within her hazing sight. One of the pieces of the kamikaze Neroi scraped the top of her forehead letting blood gush out over her left eye. The Captain had to stop firing blind. It was a small chance, but she would never forgive herself if she shot a fellow strike witch.

"Damn it!" she cursed under her breath. 'How pathetic' she thought. Barkhorn had to take a break from fighting to deal with an injury.

With no sight, all that Trude could hear were the other witches guns firing off along with claps of thunder. The sooner she dug out the metal and wiped her eye, the more carnage she could unleash!

A quick rip, and Tude was free of the infection. But it was too late. When her eyes opened, a swarm engulfed the brunette fighter.

She couldn't stop the approaching rampart of Neuroi. It was all going by the Captain at an unimaginable rate. The series of black boxes with neon red light zipped past her leaving nothing but blurs over the storming clouds they had been fighting in. The rain was beginning to lose its presence in the fight.

Barkhorn fired at the alien foe in hatred. These robot like beast honestly thought she was some dog to be caged. She thought. She feared. Fear? Was that possible for a woman of her stature?

The sound of the outside world was now gone. The gears of the other witch's striker units were fading beneath the crimson shadows. Trude was alone in the dome that the neuroi has surrounded her in. Her shots were useless as the trap revealed more layers with each hit.

Major Sakamoto's voice screeched under the static in the earpiece, "Cap...arkhor-! do...copy! Tru..a-ser...damn i-!"

No way out. No communication. No ammunition left. Barkhorn began to fly toward the wall in an attempt to find her teammates beyond it. It was futile since it was out of desperation. As it was painful.

It hurt just to be alone like this. Trude couldn't stop her rapid breaths. The darkness was losing its shade as the red lights increased their glare. The captain couldn't say they were about to attack. Those tears that slipped out of her eyes ensured that she knew death was coming.

"Can anyone hear me?" Barkhorn asked. There was static clinging in her ear. She decided to just go with it.

Trude did everything not to choke on her own words. These were her final words after all.

"I'm sorry for being so harsh on you all. And...thank you for being my friends...I love you girls." She failed to remain composed in her next sentence, "Tell my little sister...I'm sorry...and I love her!" Humbled, humiliated, and scared, Captain Barkhorn bowed her head dropping her weapon accepting defeat. No amount of magic would be able to block off the thousands of neuroi encasing her.

Wiping her face clean of fear, "I'm Captain Gertrude Barkhorn, signing off."

The lasers of the neuroi fired from all angels engulfing Trude in red. Trude kept her eyes open as the enemy fired. She was scared, but she wasn't going to let that be her last emotion. 'Frightened' was not going to be how her friends remembered her.

Captain Gertrude Barkhorn: K.I.A

!

Captain Gertrude Barkhorn, had one hell of a headache. But how? Dead bodies can't feel anything. Well, she isn't dead. She came very close to the horrible experience of leaving this world, but a certain puppy saved her.

"She's waking up!" Shirley proclaimed.

"Shut it!" Perine ordered.

Trude sat up as much as she could with a burned back. Her entire body was bandaged as it was sore. She could've wondered how she was alive, but it was better for the girl to say hello to her family.

"How're you feeling Captain?" Mio asked.

"I'm happy." Trude answered weakly. It didn't need an explanation.

"So are we." Minna responded smiling.

Hartmann began, "You were surrounded by neuroi and—"

"Wait." Barkhorn stated. "I just wanna enjoy the fact that I'm alive." Minna placed her hand over the soldier's wrapped arm as an acceptance of statement. Not many enter the fiery pit and emerge.

"Where's Miyafuji & Lynette?" she asked.

The smiles and the joy were decimated. Some of the girls even looked away. How could they explain it to her?

"Uhm," Hartmann began, "Lyn is with Miyafuji."

Though her head was in splitting pain, Trude could piece some of the puzzle together.

"What happened to Miyafuji!?" Barkhorn begged.

"She's in the other bed." Perine answered not able to look her superior officer in the eye. Or maybe there was something in her eye?

Trude ignored her pain to throw the sheets off her and stager out of bed. Mio, Hartmann, & Shirley stood in her path.

"Get out of my way!" Trude shouted under her breath. She hit the floor when those injured feet couldn't sustain her body after two steps.

"CAPTAIN BARKHORN!" Mio ordered, "Stop this! Miyafuji is injured just as you are. Do you want her to see you acting like this?"

One step lower than when she was facing death, was when Trude forced herself to crawl on the floor underneath her peers that she loved.

"Stop it Trude!" Hartmann cried.

Dropping to her knees and grasping the captain's shoulders, Perine pulled the officer back as much as she could without harming her anymore.

"Captain Barkhorn! Please! You need to rest!"

"**SHUT UP! ALL OF YOU!**" For the second time in less than 48 hours, the girl drove herself to frantic tears, "I wanna see Miyafuji! Where is she!? What did I do to her!?"

A pair of feet with stockings going up to the knees halted in front of the woman's path.

"Excuse me captain." Lynette said, "Miyafuji is sleeping right now. Can you please stop yelling before you wake her up?"

Shame.

Regret.

Hate.

Relief.

Terror.

So many emotions were second to the one that wouldn't leave her alone. Trude just wanted them all to stop. So she did.

"I'm sorry. I'll be quiet now."

END

Jet: Not sure where I'm gonna go with this but it was in my head for a while so I had to get the ball rolling. Ideas are welcome!


	2. Chapter 2

Jet: Once again, I have no idea where I'm going with this story. Suggestions would be helpful.

Captain Erica Hartman: The following is a non-profit fan based parody. Strike Witches is owned by Humikane Shimada, Yoshiyuki Kazumi, Hashigo Ueda, Noboru Yamaguchi, Gonzo, Madman Entertainment, Kadokawa Shoten, Manga Entertainment, Funimation, and Chiba TV.

Fearless Ch. 2

Crickets, an I-V line, and the ocean collapsing against itself amongst the shore. Trude didn't want to hear it. Any of it. She just wanted to be alone with her thoughts in the dark of night.

'_How did this didn't happen?_' she questioned. '_I couldn't have been taken down by the Neori so easily. I'm one of the best witches here! W-was there something wrong with my unit? No. It was fine during the battle. Maybe I took too much time dealing with the cut. No, it couldn't have been more than a few seconds. So was it my magic? If it was my magic...then...I won't be able to-_'

"Captain." an innocent voice said, "You're still awake?"

It was Lynn. Ever since Barkhorn woke up, Lynn hasn't moved from her roommate's bedside. An entire day and Trude still has no idea what has happened to Yoshika. They won't tell her. They just can't. And it was mocking.

So close to the only other I-V line in the room, and unable to know why she needed to be attached to one. Barkhorn tried to keep all thoughts away from the girl who, from indication, saved her.

"Yes Lynn." Trude answered. "I'm just thinking."

"About what?" she asked.

"It's...well...nevermind. It's nothing." There was absolutely no way Trude would admit what she was thinking to a fellow solider.

Never again would she let them know.

"Alright then." Lynn said, "Get some sleep. You're going to need it to get your strength back up."

Complying, "Alright then."

She closed her eyes and drifted away.

'_Never again._'

!

Morning came and Barkhorn was approached by a smiling Erica Hartman.

"Okay Trude, time to take your breakfast!" she cheered.

"Thank you." Trude began, "But I can feed myself."

Erica shook her head, "The doctor said the muscles in your arms are severely bruised. So I'm going to feed you."

"I appreciate that. But my arms feel fine." Attempting to prove herself, Barkhorn found out just how bad of liar she was.

It was the type of pain that was completely facial. Erica didn't need to hear a scream or grunt to see the concentrated evil currently in Trude's arms.

"You gonna let me feed you now?"

"Yes please."

!

It was one humiliation after another. However, this one wasn't too bad. Actually, Trude felt it to be rather pleasant. Her best friend was giving her a nice warm and tasty morning meal (get your minds out of the gutter).

"How's the soup?" Erica asked.

Swallowing, "It's really good. Thank you."

Leading another spoon-full of chicken-noodle soup to Trude, Erica kept the same monotone smile. Like there was nothing else in the world she had to do. It was just her and Barkhorn. And it was scaring Trude.

She thought about asking if something was wrong. Maybe Hartman could tell her about Yoshika. If she was okay. Why she's in the room with them but too far for the Captain to see her.

'_What if she does tell me? What if I can't handle it? If Miyafuji is..._'

"Trude!" Hartman snapped.

Startled, "Uh! What? What happened?"

Pouting, "Here I am feeding you delicious soup that Lynne made and you're spacing out!" the Captain stood up swinging her hip out showing off her nice assets, "Do I have to dress up in something skimpy to keep your attention?" Smiling devilishly, "Trude?"

Half of the reason Trude began to blush was because she was appalled, "Har-Hartman!" The other was do to being a little intrigued.

Erica sat back down, "Good. Now open wide."

'_What am I thinking?_' Barkhorn took the spoon into her mouth, '_Miyafuji's fine! She's strong. She just...did what she was trained to do. She helped me when I was in trouble. So, the both of us are probably injured to the same level. She's younger than and not as experienced as I am so in battle...so that's why Master-Sergeant Lynette is with her._' Consuming the noodles with a loud slurp, the solider sighed in relief.

'_She's going to be fine._'

Ignorance is the greatest bliss man has ever known.

Too Be Continued

Jet: Tell me, when do you think Trude will find out?


End file.
